


The Diner

by Gallifrean_assbutts_in221b



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, First Kiss, Fluff, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-08 22:04:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallifrean_assbutts_in221b/pseuds/Gallifrean_assbutts_in221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one in the jacket stares down at his menu in deep thought while the one in the frumpy-looking trench coat stares at him avidly, a frown of concentration on his stubbly face. The really tall one keeps glancing between the other two as if he’s waiting for something to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Diner

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is a little ficlet that I wrote up in two or so hours. (Yeah, I know it's a crappy title, but I couldn't think of anything better.) It's from the POV of a waitress at the diner where Cas and the Winchesters happened to be eating...she witnesses some pretty important stuff for them. Inspired by A Startled Realization by thewinchesterlifestyle. Please let me know what you think!

The diner is almost empty. Not that it’s all that crowded normally, but we close in an hour, so the regular Friday night crowd has boiled down to two or three tables. It’s that late-night assortment of oddballs who just happened to stumble through town for whatever reason. Usually they’re the kind of people who hate it when you ask questions. But I still can’t help being curious. It must be very strange, whatever circumstances would lead a person to wander into Nowheresville, Indiana, population 300, and stop at the diner at 9:00 on a Friday night.  
I make my way over to table four, where three young men are seated. It’s probably the best table in the place—a nice booth right by the window. In the mornings when we’re getting ready to open, I have perfect view of the sunrise from that window, although right now all I can see is an inky black sky, illuminated dully by the crescent moon.  
“Hello,” I say pleasantly.  
None of them seem to be paying any attention to me. The one in the jacket stares down at his menu in deep thought while the one in the frumpy-looking trench coat stares at him avidly, a frown of concentration on his stubbly face. The really tall one keeps glancing between the other two as if he’s waiting for something to happen. After a moment, he looks up at me and smiles. It seems a bit forced, but then, I suppose he has other things on his mind.  
“Yes, sorry, hi,” he says.  
“I’m Brenda, I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you boys something to drink?”  
“Uh, yeah, I’ll have a coke,” says the tall one. The one in the jacket nods.  
“Ditto.”  
Mr. Trench coat doesn’t even notice I’m there; he looks like he’s attempting to continue staring at Mr. Jacket without being noticed.  
It’s not working.  
“Anything for you, sir?” I prompt. He doesn’t seem to hear me. It’s odd, I notice, the way he holds himself. He’s slumped over slightly, shoulders drooped, and he sticks his neck out at an odd forwards angle; it makes him look like a bird. What’s far less strange is the look in his eyes as he gazes fiercely at the man across from him. It’s obvious, really: Mr. Trench Coat is clearly in love with Mr. Jacket.  
It’s pretty adorable, actually, but also sad, because Mr. Jacket seems totally oblivious. It’s like he doesn’t even recognize the way Mr. Trench Coat looks at him.  
“Cas,” says Mr. Jacket impatiently.  
Is that his name? Weird. I’ve never heard it before. Must be short for something.  
Cas looks up at me for the first time, and I’m struck by how piercingly blue his eyes are. The intensity of his gaze is a bit alarming. “No, thank you,” he says in a deep, gravelly voice.  
“All right, I’ll be back with your drinks in just a minute.”  
As I walk away, I hear Mr. Jacket say something like “You should learn how to look at people without staring. It’s kinda freaky, man.”  
I feel a pang of sympathy for Cas. Take it from someone who knows: unrequited love sucks.  
When I return with the two Cokes, Cas and Mr. Jacket appear to be deep in discussion.  
“…do not understand,” Cas says, his brow furrowed. He has a very pensive sort of face; there are bags under his eyes and wrinkles far too deep for a man his age, yet they seem to have been permanently etched there.  
Either this guy has way too stressful a job, I think, or he’s some kind of top-secret government agent. You can tell by his eyes that he’s seen things. Done things. Things you’d never want to speak about.  
“Cas, you’re human now,” says Mr. Jacket. “You’re going to have settle down eventually.” I won’t even try to comprehend what he means by “you’re human now.”  
“Why? You don’t plan to.”  
“That’s because I tried it already, remember? And that didn’t go over so well.” He sounds bitter now. I don’t blame him. Sounds to me like he had a family at some point and then something terrible happened to them, so he had to leave. Must’ve been really painful, judging by the expression on his face.  
“Dean, I hardly fit in with society here,” says Cas. “I see no need to ‘settle down.’”  
Mr. Jacket—no, Dean sighs and opens his mouth to say something else, but stops as I set their drinks down on the table. “Are we ready to order?”  
Dean glances over his menu one more time. “Do you have any pie?”  
The Tall One groans exasperatedly. “Dean, you had pie like three hours ago—”  
“Yeah, well, it’s been a stressful day, okay?”  
These people are weird, but that’s just fine. I give Dean a cheery smile. “We do have pie, it’s the best in the county.”  
Dean looks absolutely thrilled by this news. “Is that so? Well then, I’ll have a piece of that—”  
“I’ll get a burger,” says The Tall One, having abandoned his attempt to get Dean to order something besides pie. I nod cheerfully.  
“Anything for you, sir?” I ask Cas. He looks slightly startled that I’m speaking to him and merely shakes his head. Strange. Doesn’t he ever eat anything?  
Maybe he’s not hungry.  
As I walk away, I catch Dean glance up at Cas and wonder if he knows more than he’s letting on. Maybe Dean feels the same way…maybe Dean loves him too, but he just doesn’t know it.  
I rush off to take their orders to the kitchen as Dean and Cas resume their discussion behind me. When I return to bring them their food, they’re on the same topic, except Dean just looks a lot more nonplussed. The Tall One isn’t saying a word, just watching them both with fascination. I guess he’s not the chatty type.  
I almost ask if they need more ketchup, but stop myself when I see the expression on Dean’s face. It’s one of pure anguish. I can practically feel the heat pulsing between them. It’s clearly an intense conversation; no one even notices me standing there.  
“I still don’t see why that’s necessary,” Cas is saying.  
Dean is obviously getting frustrated now. “Because that’s what people do, Cas! They settle down, have a family!”  
Cas returns none of Dean’s frustration. He’s completely calm when he says “You are my family.”  
That. Is. Adorable.  
Unfortunately, Dean doesn’t seem to think so. He shifts in his seat uncomfortably and averts his gaze. “That’s—that’s not what I meant.”  
“Then what did you mean?”  
Cas is staring at Dean with that burning intensity again, but Dean won’t meet his eyes. “You’re supposed to get the whole apple pie life for yourself…find someone you love, get married, have kids.”  
“But I have found someone,” says Cas quietly, and Dean finally looks up at him, a quizzical look in his eyes. “I love you.”  
Holy shit.  
Well, that’s one way to drop the l-bomb.  
The Tall One’s eyes have widened to the size of golf balls as he stares frantically between Dean and Cas.  
Dean’s expression is utterly shocked. Cas’s eyes are so sad and tired—they don’t even seem hopeful that Dean feels the same way, just resigned, like he’s given up. It makes my heart break for him.  
Dean shakes his head, bewildered. “No,” he says very slowly, “no, Cas, I…you don’t really mean that.”  
Cas’s brow furrows in confusion, and I feel like smacking Dean upside the head. Of course he means it, you idiot! Can’t you tell? Can’t you see the way he looks at you?  
“Yes, I do,” Cas says. “Wh—”  
“No. No, you don’t.”  
Cas is obviously really hurt now. Dean, you moron! When he speaks again, his voice is so soft it’s like he’s trying not to breathe. “Of course I mean it.”  
Dean looks absolutely terrified. He doesn’t seem to be able to speak anymore, so he just shakes his head frantically. Cas swallows and looks down. He looks like he’s trying very hard not to bury his face in his hands. When he meets Dean’s gaze again, his eyes are far too bright, like they’ve been lit on fire from behind.  
“Dean…” he says with a kind of quiet ferocity, “The first time I met you, I…”  
Cas can’t seem to finish. Dean is shaking a little.  
“After all you have done, do you still not believe you deserved to be saved?”  
“I—” Dean’s voice is shaking, and he doesn’t seem to have the strength to finish his sentence. Instead, he gives his head a little jerk, as if to say I’m sorry, but I can’t do this, and stands up in one sudden movement.  
As Dean gets up, he nearly walks right into me. He starts a bit, like he’s just noticing I’m there, and then he gives me a look that says don’t you dare say a word. Then he turns and bolts out the door; Cas’s big, sad eyes follow him as he goes.  
The Tall One turns to look at Cas in shock. Cas looks utterly defeated and broken, as if for the first time, he doesn’t know what to do, and it frightens him.  
“Sam…” he starts, but doesn’t finish.  
Sam shakes his head a bit, blinks, and gives Cas a tiny smile. “He’ll come around.”  
Cas glances to the door and then back at Sam.  
“Go on. You’ll figure it out.”  
Cas nods seriously and stands up. He’s taller than I’d thought. He takes in a breath and walks out the door, trembling slightly as though he’s trying not to run.  
Sam looks up at me and says something like “Um…I guess we’ll be getting the check in a bit.”  
I nod and head back towards the kitchen, head reeling. Oh my god. Dean, you’re so stupid! Can’t you tell how much he loves you? I feel like I know him. I at least know he’s totally blowing it with Cas.  
I sneak around to the back door—it’s slightly ajar to let the breeze in—and catch a glimpse of Cas and Dean standing mere inches apart just outside of it. Holy shit.  
I really shouldn’t be doing this, I think as I creep closer to the open doorway. I hear Dean’s voice first.  
“…gone, Cas, don’t you see that? Everyone I ever care about always leaves. My mom, my dad, Ellen and Jo, Bobby, Ben and Lisa…every single one of them. Hell, I’ve lost Sammy more times than I can count. I’m a curse, Cas, do you understand? Don’t love me, I’m cursed…”  
I can hear the smile in Cas’s voice. “Sorry, but I’d rather have you. Cursed or not.”  
“I—Cas, I’ve lost everyone…please don’t make me lose you…I can’t, I…”  
“I’m not going anywhere, Dean.” Through the crack of the open doorway, I see Cas take a tiny step closer. Dean doesn’t move away. He looks like he’s paralyzed. “I promise.”  
Dean looks so scared, like he’s trying to gather the courage to jump off the edge. It’s a treacherous drop, but if he’s lucky, he’ll end up flying.  
“You are worthy of salvation, Dean,” says Cas softly.  
And then, suddenly, he leans forward and presses his lips to Dean’s. It’s a soft, short kiss, only a moment long; Dean looks startled but doesn’t move away. When Cas leans back, there’s such a plea in his eyes: please, see what I see. See that you deserve to be happy.  
“You are worthy of love,” he breathes, and leans in again. Dean closes his eyes, letting Cas kiss him slowly. After a moment, he starts to respond, to kiss Cas back. He raises his hands slowly and tangles them in Cas’s hair, and Cas wraps his arms around Dean’s waist.  
I turn away from the door, smiling. Thank god. I was worried about those two.  
Then I head back into the kitchen and smirk.  
I think I’ll give them some privacy.


End file.
